A Compilation and Evaluation of Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Bentonite-based Buffer Materials for a High- level Waste Repository

A Compilation and Evaluation of Thermal and Mechanical Properties of Bentonite-based Buffer Materials for a High- level Waste Repository

The thermal and mechanical properties of compacted bentonite and bentonite-sand mixture were collected from the literatures and compiled. The thermal conductivity of bentonite is found to increase almost linearly with increasing dry density and water content of the bentonite. The specific heat can also be expressed as a function of water ontent, and the coefficient of thermal expansion is almost independent on the dry density. The logarithm of unconfined compressive strength and Young’s modulus of elasticity increase linearly with increasing dry density, and in the case of constant dry density, it can be fitted to a second order polynomial of water content. Also the unconfined compressive strength and Young’s modulus of elasticity of the bentonite-sand mixture decreases with increasing sand content. The Poisson’s ratio remains constant at the dry density higher than 1.6 Mg/m$_3$, and the shear strength increases with increasing dry density.